Curtis Switzer and Chad Costamire fueling Chad’s L-29.
Friday delivered more than anyone expected. The plan called for one round of competition flying in the afternoon, which is the tradition at the Scale Nats. Instead, the weather held, the flightlines kept moving, and the contest got two full rounds in the books before the day was done.
The morning of the first day started smoothly, with the Standard Catapult Glider and the Hand Launch Glider events. In the afternoon, Cabin, Easy B, F1R, and F1D flew in typical fashion until the last hour of the contest.
The day almost started out as a carbon copy of the previous days. However, today we started out with a few spotty clouds and a little wind. There was nothing major with the wind, but the pilots knew where to place their maneuvers. None of this, “Maybe here, or is it there?” type of thing.
Today was Crazy-Fast, Fast Combat. It is only for the ballsy. First place went to Bill Maywald, Chuck Rudner took second and Neil Simpson was third. These guys had some amazing matches! This was the last combat event at the Nats. We will see everyone next year.
Thursday was registration and practice day at the Scale Nats, which means no competition flights were flown and no rounds were scored in the air. That does not mean the day was quiet.
There are a couple of ways to prepare for the final day of competition. If everything’s going well, or if you’ve given up, you will be relaxing. But if you are still solving problems or looking for that last bit of performance, you’ll be working on your plane.
There are multiple angles from which to approach this final issue of NatsNews for the 2026 AMA RC Pylon Racing National Championships. I wish there was a way to convey the intensity, nerve, skill and aggression on display during the actual laps of competition – especially in the Quarter 40 class.
The unofficial Carrier events were run today. These events are usually completed by noon, so I made plans to be somewhere else later in the day. However, Murphy raised his head and said “Not today.”
We held 1/2A Combat today. There were some really good matches. Zero wind and hot temps made for hot combat. But the low winds allowed a full 360 degrees of airspace to use.